A CAREER WAS BORN OUT OF PASSION FOR COOKING. FOR MY FAMILY WHO ARE MY SUPPORT SYSTEM!

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Having Fun with Friends at my Test Cooking/Tasting Party

On Thursday, 4/3/14, I invited friends to a tasting of two of my recipes: I had not cooked either of these recipes in more than 20 years. The recipes needed to be cooked and tested because they will be part of my book to be published in 2015.

I had to make sure the Lamb Pot and the Yam Apple Soup are as good as I remembered.Boy, they are.

My friends from all walks of life got really into this. All loved the Lamb Pot and made suggestions as to what wines would be better to go with the lamb than the Riesling I chose. The recipe calls for curry and I like a Riesling or Gewürztraminer with curry.

I agree that a Pinot would bring out the flavors more.

The Yam Apple Soup, which I chose to use as dessert, (cold) received good reviews as well. The soup calls to be served topped with whipped cream. Some liked the soup better without the whipped cream. This soup can be served hot or cold and is a great summer soup.

The discussions were lively and the suggestions plenty. I am so grateful to my friends for indulging me with this venture: it is a motivator to keep writing this book. I am, after all, almost 79 years old and finishing this book will be the highlight of my career and a gift to my family.

This is a great way to entertain and have fun with friends.

One recipe will be attached.

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Here is the recipe first, ha, ha.

Apple Yam Wine Soup:

2 ½to 3 quarts of water

2 ½ lbs Yams cleaned, peeled cut into thick slices

2 ½ lbs Apples peeled, seeds removed sliced into thick slices

2 large Onions chopped

Fresh Thyme to taste

Lemon juice from 3 to 4 fresh lemons

1 cups sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

1 to 2 cups Marsala wine

Whipping cream for topping, whipped

Sauté onions for 5 to 10 minutes, do not brown, add thyme, apples, yams sauté for 3 minutes add the water bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour.

Cool the soup, puree, put back into pot add the wine, lemon juice cinnamon sticks, sugar bring to the boiling point turn down the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve hot or cold topped with whipped heavy cream.

Makes 8 to 12 servings

Note: This is a great summer soup or for dessert. It has a 5 to 6 day shelf life

About Me

I inherited the dining bug from my father, who ran successful dinner clubs in Germany, my native country. My forty plus years of experience in the food service industry include experience as chef, restaurant and private club general manager, and director of food & beverage for hotels. My first major success as a food service professional came with the establishment and the subsequent phenomenal popularity of Annie’s Firehouse Soup Kitchen Restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut.
Other establishments I have worked with include The Graduate Club, in New Haven, Connecticut; the Four Seasons Hotel, Le Premier Restaurant, & Radisson Plaza Hotel, Newport Beach, Dream Inn Hotel, Santa Cruz, Los Gatos Lodge, Los Gatos, Felix & Louis, Healdsburg, all in California; Village Latch Inn, South Hampton, New York; and the Radisson Hotel in Osprey, Florida.
Corporate clients include Conde Nast, Yale University, and Irvine Ranch Farmer’s Market among many others.
Television credits include cooking demonstrations in New Haven, Connecticut and New York City. I have also been featured in the food section of many papers.